Lottery News

March 1, 2021 – Consistent with its long-standing commitment to responsible gambling, the CT Lottery is proudly supporting Problem Gambling Awareness Month (PGAM) this March.

Partnering with the National Council on Problem Gambling, and in conjunction with other industry stakeholders, the CT Lottery is spearheading initiatives designed to raise awareness of problem gambling and help foster discussions about prevention, identification, treatment and recovery.

Throughout the month of March, the CT Lottery’s support of PGAM includes a variety of marketing and promotional public service ads to increase awareness. Problem gambling prevention and assistance materials are available in-store, on the CT Lottery’s website and social media accounts, and on billboards across the state. Additionally, the CT Lottery is displaying responsible gambling messages through various other mediums – TV, radio, licensed CT Lottery retailer terminals and physical displays.

“Engaging in Responsible Gambling efforts is a top priority for the CT Lottery Corporation and has been for many years,” said Greg Smith, President and CEO of the CT Lottery. “We promote responsible play year round, as well as GameSense to maintain healthy gambling habits. We also provide strong awareness of how to get services for those that need help managing their play. We enhance those efforts during March in further support of Problem Gambling Awareness Month.”

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem call the Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-888-789-7777, a free, 24-hour service established for the purpose of obtaining information, support and referrals to persons impacted by problem gambling.

The CT Lottery’s commitment to responsible gambling is reflected in various corporate responsibility initiatives throughout the year. The Lottery’s efforts to support responsible gambling include:

• Participating in the annual Holiday Lottery Responsible Gaming Campaign sponsored by the National Council on Problem Gambling and the International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems and High Risk Behaviors at McGill University.
  
• Reminding educators and parents of the impact that gambling problems can have on families, through messages placed in the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE) Journal and Connecticut Parent Magazine.
• Training CT Lottery employees and retailers on responsible gambling. 
• Publicizing responsible gambling information in the CT Lottery's newsletter Chatter that Matters for which it won an award at the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL) Annual Conference and Trade Show.

Since 1996, the Lottery has provided $ 38,423,000 to the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services Chronic Gamblers Treatment and Rehabilitation Fund. In fiscal year 2020, the CT Lottery contributed $2.3 million to the fund. The Lottery also contributes resources above and beyond this statutory requirement in a variety of ways.  

The CT Lottery is also a proud partner in the CT Partnership for Responsible Gambling, a coalition between the CT Lottery, the CT Council on Problem Gambling (CCPG) and the Problem Gambling Services department at the CT Department of Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS-PGS). And, the CT Lottery also actively participates in the Gambling Awareness for All of Connecticut (GFACT) coalition comprised of people who work in the problem gambling field, people in recovery and gaming industry representatives.

For more information, visit CTLOTTERY.ORG/ResponsibleGambling.